


Artemus & Sebastian

by Ink_Glitch



Category: Original Work
Genre: Funny, Gen, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, Steampunk, Studio Ghibli, just an intro to my OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 17:11:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19361164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Glitch/pseuds/Ink_Glitch
Summary: A little thing I wrote about my boys Artemus and Sebastian, feat. a tiny cameo by Chrono, Sebastian being a bastard, and Artemus incredibly tired of stupidity. It will probably eventually get more chapters, but it stands on its own and I make no guarantees.





	Artemus & Sebastian

It was the quiet tck tck tck of metal on wood that started to wake Artemus. The sound registered in the back of his brain, starting to pull him from his dreams, but he wasn’t quite aware enough to process what it meant. The sound moved from one side of his bed to the other, something brushing his hair as the sound was above his head. 

A weight dropped down onto his pillow, settled for a second, and began to move down toward the other end. At this point, Artemus’ brain slowly started to catch up, trying to make sense of what was going on so that he could roll over and go back to sleep. Right before it reached his feet, he realised what the weight was and what was about to happen, but it was too late.

“SEBASTIAN!!!” Artemus let out a shriek as a cold metal nose was pressed directly to his foot. He was up and awake in an instant, swiping for the small brass shape now scampering across the blanket in an attempt to escape. He dove and caught automaton mouse just before he disappeared over the edge, and held him up so they were face to face.

Sebastian had the gaul to fold his ears and whiskers back, drooping slightly, giving what Artemus knew was his “poor, pitiful mouse, so wrongly accused” look. It was a look reserved for when he got caught making trouble, and he knew Artemus would fall for it every time.

Artemus tried his best to look stern as he glared at his creation, but he just couldn’t. With an eye roll and a sigh, he placed the mouse on his shoulder before going to stoke the stove. It was cold in his one-room apartment and he needed to get going if he wanted to be on time to work.

A kettle was filled with water and placed on the stovetop along side a frying pan with two sausages, and he pulled bread from the cupboard. Sebastian scampered down onto the nightstand as Artemus sifted through the drawers, pulling out a clean shirt, pants, vest, and neckerchief.   
He poured the boiling water into a chipped mug with a bag of coffee and killed the fire in the stove. He added jam to two slices of bread, eating them and downing the coffee one-handed as he pulled on his boots and jacket. He threw the sausages in his lunch tin, alongside more bread and a wedge of cheese.

An arm was offered to Sebastian and he ran up it to settle in Artemus’ curls, and then they were off, dishes left to be taken care of later. It was still dark out, and the city was mostly quiet. Fog settled in the spaces between the tall buildings, and Artemus left visible breaths behind in the cold air as he ran through the winding streets. 

As he got closer to the river and bay, activity picked up. He waved to some of the people he saw, vendors and shopkeepers and other mechanics, calling quick greeting to those he knew well. As the sun finally began to lighten the sky, he reached the docks and stopped. 

They were bustling with life, sailors racing too and fro, shouting to each other over the sounds of steam engines warming up. Gulls were already in the sky calling and the cranes that helped to load cargo onto steamship and airship alike were up and running. The ships were always eager to get on their way. 

Artemus had a large number of ships to work on today, and more would surely arrive as the day went on. Mechanics were in large supply on the docks, and there were never quite enough. It was their job to check engines and systems, to clean and repair anything mechanical that needed cleaning or fixing before the next trip, and generally make sure that the ships ran smoothly. 

Ships had their own engineers, of course, who could repair things in a pinch, but it was the dock mechanics who truly did the work that kept ships in the water and air. The engineers were theoretical, designing systems, not building them, and all the understanding in the world couldn’t make up for practical, hands-on knowledge. 

According to his list, slightly smudged from being crammed into a pocket on his tool-belt with grease-coated hands, the first ship he had to look at was an airship called The Felicity. Cramming the list back in his belt, he took off again.

\---------------------------------------  
Artemus ran a hand through his hair, spiking it even further with a coating of grease, coal dust, and oil. Sebastian had long ago retired to the front pocket of his vest to escape the same fate. The engine of the steamer he was on, the Grim Valkyrie, was refusing to run properly despite all his coaxings.

The steam pipes were secure, he had checked that first, the pressure fine as well. Still, the gears that produced the power were refusing to turn. Something had them stuck, but he couldn’t find it. Already he had dealt with more annoyances than he would have liked. The Felicity, it turned out, was suffering from a case of general crew stupidity, the filters providing air to the fire completely clogged with coal dust because the vents had not been properly reversed.

He had had to crawl all the way inside the engine to reach them, to his great displeasure. Sebastian, who he had originally created for that very purpose, had ended up sentient and a complete upper, refusing to even get near the grime from the engines that Artemus worked on. That had left him filthy and grumpy before the day had even properly begun.

Then there had been the engineer on the Prodigy (Artemus had found that name highly ironic), who refused to believe that his “perfectly theoretically plausible” system was the reason the electric lights had stopped working because it was sucking up all the electricity produced by the engines. Artemus had eventually distracted him and managed to undo his idiocy.

It had been one thing after another, half his lunch had fallen in the river when a few sailors bumped him as he sat on the low wall to eat, and now he was going to be here late trying to fix the damned engine.   
\---------------------------------------  
It was indeed late when Artemus finally packed up the last tools for the day and collected his pay from the Grim’s captain. It wasn’t very much, not compared to what even a simple sailor would make working on the ship, but work was work, and he enjoyed it. It was better than working in a factory or a mine.

He was able to afford his small apartment and had enough for food and coal for the coldest times of the year. It was a simple but not unsatisfying life. It was for certain better than his family had had in Tatinghaven, when they had sent him, their third son, off at six to be apprenticed to a machinist in Tinemoor. 

Tatinghaven was a small mining town, one of many to dot Kifethain’s hills and nestle in its mountains. It was common practice for families such as his own to apprentice their children in the bigger cities. It meant hope for a better future for the child and fewer mouths to feed at home.

He wrote sometimes, trusting that someone who could read and write might read the letters to his parents, and occasionally he got a reply, but he hadn’t seen them since he had left, and felt little connection to his home.

He supposed he could use some of his pay today to post a letter to them. It had been several months since his last. It was dark, and the streetlights were lit. Still, Tinemoor’s streets were somewhat busy. Instead of taking the direct route home, he went through the market streets. Things were always cheapest at the end of the day, and he occasionally found interesting things for reasonable prices.

Today, there was little to catch his interest. He did buy a small tin of good tea, something he hadn’t had in a while, that had gone past its prime. The flavor would be weaker than what anyone normally able to buy such tea would accept, but to anyone else it would be wonderful. 

It was as he was stowing his find in his belt that Sebastian decided to alert him that his key was winding down. The mechanical mouse climbed up his shirt from his pocket to perch on his shoulder, before bracing his paws on Artemus’ neck and biting his ear hard.

“Damnit Sebastian!” Artemus snatched for the automaton, twisting as he grabbed onto the back of Artemus’ shirt and attempted to flee to his other shoulder while making a chirping sound Artemus knew to be laughter. He ran into someone, who replied with chuckled forgiveness as Artemus called out a sorry.

He finally caught Sebastian just before he would have run into a lamp post, snatching the mouse up and holding him tightly in one hand. Sebastian hung limply, realising the game was up. Artemus gave him his most disappointed look, before giving his key a half-turn and returning him to the pocket. 

Sebastian stuck his head out sulkily, unhappy that he wasn’t fully wound, but aware that he wasn’t getting anything else until morning. Artemus guessed that he was more annoyed that he was getting punished than he was repentant for what he did, and that there was no chance that Sebastian was going to be any less of a bastard, but he was tired and one morning’s peace was worth a sulky mouse for a day or two.

When he finally made it back to his room in the boarding house tired and ready to turn in, he was met with one final sight to taunt him. The dishes from the morning were still sitting out, dirty. If he didn’t want rats, he would have to wash them before bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr, RogueInkGlitch, for more Chrono, Sebastian, & Artemus and a lot of fandom stuff.   
> https://rogueinkglitch.tumblr.com/


End file.
